(Intel's announcement video mentions a 'native implementation,' but a readme file spotted by GamingOnLinux now mentions the DXVK license, so it's not 'native' in the traditional sense.) This makes some sense-Intel can choose a DirectX translation layer based on which is more stable or performant in a given game without needing to go to the trouble of creating a native implementation. With these improvements, the company says it's introducing a 'hybrid' approach, using Microsoft's D3D9On12 layer 'when a better experience can be delivered' and a DirectX-to-Vulkan layer called DXVK when it would improve performance.

Intel had previously said it used a Microsoft-provided translation layer to support DirectX9 games. Advertisementįurther Reading Intel turns to code translation to run old DirectX9 games on its newest GPUs

The API is also used in still-popular multiplayer games like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, League of Legends, Team Fortress 2, and Starcraft II, making performance improvements in DirectX9 games particularly noteworthy. But in today's beta driver release (31.0.101.3959, for those keeping track), Intel is offering a 'significant' boost in older DirectX9 titles, with frame rates that can improve by as much as 80 percent.ĭirectX9 was the graphics API of choice in the Windows XP era, and the Windows XP era lasted for a very long time. Since the October launch of the A770 and A750, Intel has released a handful of driver updates, each of which fixed specific bugs or provided small performance improvements in individual games.

The GPUs are actually quite price-competitive with aging midrangers like Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 3060 if you’re playing newer games, but performance in older games is mixed.įor Intel Arc owners attracted to the cards’ price, salvation may come in the form of continued driver updates. In the run-up to the launch of Intel's Arc graphics cards, the company emphasized for months that the cards might not perform well in games that didn't use newer graphics APIs like Vulkan and DirectX 12.

Intel gpu driver update